MOSCOW, Dec 30 (Reuters) - Moscow has accused Kiev of attempting to strike a presidential residence in northern Russia, a claim that Ukrainian leaders have dismissed as a fabricated lie intended to give the Kremlin justification to continue the war in Ukraine.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Monday that Ukraine had attacked a presidential residence in the Novgorod region overnight with 91 long-range attack drones and that Russia would retaliate. He said there were no casualties in the attack and that while Moscow was not giving up on talks to end the war in Ukraine, its negotiating position was being reviewed after the incident, which he described as “state terrorism.” Lavrov offered no evidence for the accusations and added that Russia had already identified targets in Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy dismissed the Russian claims as “another round of lies” designed to justify new attacks on Ukraine and prolong the war since February 2022, when President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of Russian troops to Ukraine. “This alleged story of a ‘residence strike’ is a complete fabrication, designed to justify further attacks on Ukraine, including Kiev, as well as Russia’s own refusal to take the necessary steps to end the war. Typical Russian lies,” Zelenskiy declared.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha on Monday called on world leaders to condemn Russia for the accusations, adding on Tuesday that, even after nearly a day, Moscow has not presented any credible evidence. “And it will not do so, because there is none. Such an attack did not happen,” he said. Russia, meanwhile, has carried out near-daily attacks on Ukraine, launching hundreds of drones and firing missiles.
The residence Moscow is referring to is Valdai, also known as “Uzhin” or “Dolgiye Borody,” a heavily guarded complex on the shores of Lake Valdai, about 225 miles (360 kilometers) north of Moscow. It is not clear where Putin was at the time of the alleged attack, but he held meetings on Saturday and Monday in the Kremlin. Putin has not commented publicly on the situation, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that, in light of recent developments, such details should not be made public. Shortly before Lavrov made his statement, Putin held a meeting in the Kremlin with Defense Minister Andrei Belousov, Federal Security Service Director Alexander Bortnikov, and senior generals on the war in Ukraine, without mentioning any Ukrainian drone attack on the residence.
According to Reuters, Putin briefed U.S. President Donald Trump on the incident on Monday. “I don’t like it. It’s not good,” Trump told reporters. “It’s one thing to be offensive. It’s another thing to attack his home. It’s not the right time to do anything like that. I learned about that from President Putin today and I was very angry.”
